yawned as well. “Sweet dreams, my princesses.” His grin widened as his eyelids closed.

“You too, Kovu,” she returned the smile to him and looked back at her daughter, not realizing that her mother and father were at the opening of the chamber, watching curiously at their new granddaughter. “Sleep well, Payena,” Kiara gently nuzzled her daughter in her arms. “We’ll take good care of you as you grow, I promise.” Yawning once more, Kiara’s head lowered to the side of her daughter as she entered a natural sta.” 

“But Kiara,” Kovu tried to explain himself with a hint of worry in his voice. “I don’t know how to handle a child! What if I mess up? What if I act too harsh on her on accident? You know how cruel Zira was to me and how overprotective your father was on you while growing up . . . . I don’t want that for Payena – I don’t want her to hate her own father!” His breathing sped up as his inner fury caused him to nearly go frantic.

“Calm down, Kovu! Calm down!” Kiara told him. Once he had loosened up, he let out a deep breath. “Listen, I know you’re worried about how you might treat our daughter, but Payena’s our child. Don’t you think I may be a little worried about how to take care of her too?” 

“I . . . I . . .” Kovu couldn’t complete his thought as Kiara continued to explain.

“I know you may think that I’m ready for this new responsibility, but I’m not either. My mother was a couple of years old when I was born . . . I’m so young, . . . but I thought this was the right thing to do for the pride . . . and for us.” Tears of confusion began to drip from her eyes. “I thought we were ready for this too, Kovu.” 

“Maybe,” Kovu began to slowly speak his mind, almost as if some new wisdom was flowing through his lips. “maybe we should just learn as we go along.” Kiara sniffled once, dried her eyes and looked up at him with a look of longing. “I mean, we’re not perfect, and neither are our parents. We’re just the next generation, and it’s up to us to make things better for all of us.” His eyelids lowered halfway over his green eyes. “A wise father . . . who happens to be a king once told me that sometimes what’s left behind can turn out better than the generation before if only they’re given the chance.”

“Kovu . . .” Kiara’s eyelids began to lower as well. 

“I . . . I think that we can take this chance, Kiara. We can’t change the past now that te of sleep. 

Simba and Nala gazed upon the faraway forms of their daughter and her mate as they slept. The golden-furred monarch felt the purr of his mate against his chin. 

“See, they’ll be okay,” the slim queen told him with a murmur. “You don’t have to be so worried about Payena’s care with them. They are her parents after all.”

Simba sighed with a forced smile. “I guess you’re right . . . but I can’t help but worry about how they’ll raise her. Kiara’s over a year old and so is Kovu; they have no experience in raising cubs and it may be difficult for them to handle.” 

“They have us, Simba,” Nala reminded him, calming him down. “and the other lionesses too. We’ve had experience with rearing cubs, so if they need any assistance, we’ll help each other out. That’s what a pride is for.”

Sometimes I wonder if my father really did influence her, Simba tho.” 

“But Kiara,” Kovu tried to explain himself with a hint of worry in his voice. “I don’t know how to handle a child! What if I mess up? What if I act too harsh on her on accident? You know how cruel Zira was to me and how overprotective your father was on you while growing up . . . . I don’t want that for Payena – I don’t want her to hate her own father!” His breathing sped up as his inner fury caused him to nearly go frantic.

“Calm down, Kovu! Calm down!” Kiara told him. Once he had loosened up, he let out a deep breath. “Listen, I know you’re worried about how you might treat our daughter, but Payena’s our child. Don’t you think I may be a little worried about how to take care of her too?” 

“I . . . I . . .” Kovu couldn’t complete his thought as Kiara continued to explain.

“I know you may think that I’m ready for this new responsibility, but I’m not either. My mother was a couple of years old when I was born . . . I’m so young, . . . but I thought this was the right thing to do for the pride . . . and for us.” Tears of confusion began to drip from her eyes. “I thought we were ready for this too, Kovu.” 

“Maybe,” Kovu began to slowly speak his mind, almost as if some new wisdom was flowing through his lips. “maybe we should just learn as we go along.” Kiara sniffled once, dried her eyes and looked up at him with a look of longing. “I mean, we’re not perfect, and neither are our parents. We’re just the next generation, and it’s up to us to make things better for all of us.” His eyelids lowered halfway over his green eyes. “A wise father . . . who happens to be a king once told me that sometimes what’s left behind can turn out better than the generation before if only they’re given the chance.”

“Kovu . . .” Kiara’s eyelids began to lower as well. 

“I . . . I think that we can take this chance, Kiara. We can’t change the past now that ught as he listened to his wife’s words of wisdom. He remembered at one time he had told Nala that she sounded like her father, Mufasa. She was indeed a great choice to become Queen, despite the fact that they were best friends long before knowing that they were betrothed to one another at a young age. “I know that, Nala, but I just can’t help but worry about them . . .” His expression began to grow more serious now. “ . . . especially since we have to start teaching them about the ways of being King and Queen. I can’t see how they can balance both taking care of Payena and learning to rule the Pridelands.” He stopped as Nala surprised him with a pounce. She threw him onto the rocky ground and cowered over him with a loving gaze. 

“They’ll handle it,” Nala reassured him with a nuzzle.

Simba looked back at the three lions that were fast asleep inside the royal chamber. A smile brightened up his face. “I’m sure they will now.” He rolled over to his belly and stood up. “Come on, let’s check on the other lionesses and organize the hunting party for tonight’s feast.” 

Nala nodded as she followed the slowly flee.” 

“But Kiara,” Kovu tried to explain himself with a hint of worry in his voice. “I don’t know how to handle a child! What if I mess up? What if I act too harsh on her on accident? You know how cruel Zira was to me and how overprotective your father was on you while growing up . . . . I don’t want that for Payena – I don’t want her to hate her own father!” His breathing sped up as his inner fury caused him to nearly go frantic.

“Calm down, Kovu! Calm down!” Kiara told him. Once he had loosened up, he let out a deep breath. “Listen, I know you’re worried about how you might treat our daughter, but Payena’s our child. Don’t you think I may be a little worried about how to take care of her too?” 

“I . . . I . . .” Kovu couldn’t complete his thought as Kiara continued to explain.

“I know you may think that I’m ready for this new responsibility, but I’m not either. My mother was a couple of years old when I was born . . . I’m so young, . . . but I thought this was the right thing to do for the pride . . . and for us.” Tears of confusion began to drip from her eyes. “I thought we were ready for this too, Kovu.” 

“Maybe,” Kovu began to slowly speak his mind, almost as if some new wisdom was flowing through his lips. “maybe we should just learn as we go along.” Kiara sniffled once, dried her eyes and looked up at him with a look of longing. “I mean, we’re not perfect, and neither are our parents. We’re just the next generation, and it’s up to us to make things better for all of us.” His eyelids lowered halfway over his green eyes. “A wise father . . . who happens to be a king once told me that sometimes what’s left behind can turn out better than the generation before if only they’re given the chance.”

“Kovu . . .” Kiara’s eyelids began to lower as well. 

“I . . . I think that we can take this chance, Kiara. We can’t change the past now that ing figure of her husband away from the chamber opening. Somehow, they all believed that everything would be all right.

That night within the baobab tree, Rafiki stood inside his tree-house hut, looking at the three paintings of years past. He gazed at Mufasa’s picture and the one of his son with a warm smile. 

“Oh Mufasa, it seems as if your wish came to pass,” the mandrill found a clear spot of tree underneath the golden lioness and the darker lion and began to paint a light gold image of a cub. “Kiara has given birth to her first cub – Payena.” Once he said the cub’s name, he had used his long fingers to paint her black tuft of hair and add the ceremonial marking to her forehead. He paused, looking at the picture with a chuckling laugh. “She’s small, but I’m sure you will watch over her as she grows into a proud ruler, eh?”

The wind blew gently against the monkey’s back. Rafiki only laughed back. “I wonder why this was necessary . . . Why did you want such a young lioness to have a cub?” He let out a sigh – “You know, sometimes I worry about your choices . . .” – but his face shifted to a smile again as he looked at the new painting. “ . . . but I’ll just keep watch over Payena as she turns into a young cub destined to follow her parents as Queen of the Pridelands.”  

He chuckled once more as he sat near the edge of his tree, munching on a gourd as a midnight snack. Without his knowledge, the seed and flax breeze entered into the area and again grazed upon the picture of Simba, damaging it a little bit more before disappearing through the leaves above.

(Part

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